As temperatures continue to rise as we go into the bank holiday weekend, heat health alerts come into force today across parts of the United Kingdom.
Many areas will enter into the official heatwave thresholds across the next few days, with temperatures widely in the high 20s and low 30s into next week.
Bank holiday Monday could see the hottest May day on record as temperatures are forecast to approach 33C in south-east England.
With lots of sunshine in the forecast, UV levels are also expected to be high for many.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) normally issue heat-health alerts during the core season of 1 June to 30 September.
But, as the temperature significantly rises, they have issued “extraordinary” alerts for the Midlands, eastern and south-east England.
Valid from 09:00 BST on Friday to 17:00 on Wednesday, the yellow alerts suggest some minor impacts to health and social services.
Dr Anya Gopfert, consultant in public health at UKHSA, told the BBC: “This first heat-health alert of the summer season is an important reminder that sustained periods of warm weather can pose a real risk to the most vulnerable.”
The purpose of the alerts is to help ensure that health and social care services are prepared for hotter weather and the harms that extended periods of heat can have on health are reduced.
A yellow alert is – for most people – unlikely to be a major problem but there are some simple steps people can take to keep them safe according to Gopfert such as staying hydrated, avoiding the sun during the hottest part of the day, and keeping your home cool.
How hot is it likely to get?
For many parts of England and Wales, the temperature will rise into the mid- to high-20s over the weekend.
Locally in the south Midlands and south-east England, it could hit 30C by Sunday, which would be relatively rare for May.
There is also increasing confidence that the maximum temperature could reach 33C on bank holiday Monday.
This would exceed the current highest recorded May temperature of 32.8C, set in 1944.
This also happened to be on the Late May Bank Holiday.
We’re also expecting many parts of England to go into an official heatwave, during which the temperature exceeds 26-28C – depending on exact location – for three consecutive days.
While it won’t be as hot in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with no heatwave expected, it will still feel warm over the coming days.
Cloudier skies are likely to keep temperatures at around the low 20s at best.
Elsewhere, there’ll be a lot of sunshine – though there is a risk of a heavy shower or even thunderstorm in south-east England on Saturday afternoon.
Unusually high UV levels
As the sunshine becomes more widespread across the UK, especially England and Wales over the weekend, UV levels will also rise to “high” for many.
High UV corresponds to an index of 6 or 7 on a scale from 0 to 11+.
During summer in the UK, that UV index would typically be around 5-6 with a maximum of 8 only in exceptional circumstances.
On Sunday and Monday, the index is expected to peak at 7 across much of England and Wales.
While reaching 7 in late May isn’t unheard of, it is rare and means that the time taken to get sunburn is significantly reduced.
The cloudier skies in Scotland and Northern Ireland will mean that UV levels will be more like 4-6 or in the “medium” to occasional “high” level.
People are being reminded to stay safe in the sun by covering up, using sunscreen and seeking shade.
Additional reporting by Michelle Roberts
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: BBC
